First Viewing: "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"

I should begin this by quickly explaining why exactly I think this would be a good idea for a series of entries. Well, in a nutshell, there are two reasons for this. The first is this: Weeks ago, when I watched "The Shining" for the very first time, I realized something that I already knew, but probably wasn't fully aware of: There is a ton of great cinema out there that I have yet to discover. Why had it taken me so long to finally watch this masterpiece? Did it live up to the hype that I had heard about it earlier? Did the "Heeeerrrreee's Johnny!" scene that the movie is so famous for still send chills down my spine even though I knew it was coming? These were all questions I had to ask myself.

The second reason that I think this would be a good idea for a series of entires is this: With a first viewing comes feelings that don't always last. You can see a movie a second or third time and discover things that you've never seen before. You can love it more, hate it more, or find that it has grown on you. But there's something about a first viewing that's always going to be unique. The opinion that you have of the movie is your initial one and, whether it's right or wrong, it's the first one that you have. This, to me, is something that's interesting to write about, especially on an older movie that many already have a strong opinion on. Hopefully, it won't be a chore to read through, either. ;)

Well, enough of that. Let's get to the actual entry, shall we?

When "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" first came to America almost ten years ago, it was met with almost overwhelmingly possitive praise. The buzz was that Ang Lee, best known at the time for directing the Oscar-nominated "Sense and Sensibility," had created something that at least people in the states had never seen before: An action movie that could be easily mistaken for a ballet.

A tragic love story set in 19th century China, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" stars Cho Yun Fat as a great warrior who's felt that the film has come for him to retire. Worn down by claiming so many lives, he goes so far as to give away the sword which made him famous, a legendary blade which is more than 400 years old.

But these aren't his only reasons for retiring. His feelings towards another warrior, played by Zhang Ziyi, also contribue to his decision. They've loved each other for years, but duty and honor have prevented them from ever taking their relationship anywhere. Her feelings for him are perhaps even stronger than his for her, but she has never allowed herself to admit this. Certainly not to him, and hardly even to herself.

The story kicks into play when the sword is stolen by a mysterious warrior, a young woman played by Michelle Yeo. Trained by a monterous warrior that Yun Fat's character has sworn to kill for murdering his master, Yeo's character is, in a word, lost. Trapped in arranged marriage that she doesn't want to be a part of, isolated by the knowledge that there are very few in the world who can fight as well as she can. She is also, like the other two, going through a love story of her own. Kidnapped by an adventurous bandit in the dessert years ago, she at first resisted but ultimately fell for the man's charms, and finds herself still thinking about him even today.

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is a beautiful, beautiful film. The images of China are nothing short of breathtaking, even when viewed on a laptop screen, which is how I had to watch the film. It's no surprise to know that the movie won the Oscar for Best Cinematography. Throughout his career as a director, the camera has been used very much as a tool for storytelling. This has sometimes been extremely effective, such as in "Brokeback Mountain," and sometimes ultimately a mixed bag, which was the case with Lee's much disliked "Hulk" film. "Crouching Tiger," however, is without question his best use of it any movie of his that I've seen, and I can't help but be excited about what he might come up with for "Life of Pi," even if it remains to be seen if that movie will ever actually get made.

I watched "Crouching Tiger" in the English language dub. I was not planning on doing this, but it was what started playing automatically when I began the film, and I didn't bother switiching it to Chinese. The dub is actually pretty well done, and while I couldn't find a list of credits for the dub on the DVD, I'm 95% certain that that was Zhang Ziyi voicing her own character (it would make sense, because she speaks English). When the dub is most "off," surprisingly enough, is whenever the characters start fighting. It seems as if making the English match the mouth movement in these sequences, as the dialogue isn't in sync at all. It could be a lot more distracting than it is, though.

Speaking of action sequences, that's probably what I should've started talking about right away here. Unfortunately, it's hard for me to come up with words that could possibly do them justice. Describing the fights in "Crouching Tiger" as merely spectacular would be nothing short of an understatement. True, I have seen wire work used in similar ways a number of times over the years, but never with the grace and beauty that this movie is able to accomplish. The characters literally seem to glide, almost in a surreal way, giving the illusion that they are on the brink of defying gravity. That's not to say that that's the only thing to be said about the action scenes, though. They're as badass as they are beautiful, particuarly when it comes to a face-off that takes place between Ziyi and Yeo's characters. Running at what appeared to be four minutes to me, it just might be one of the greatest duels ever filmed, with Ziyi's character resorting to more and more elaborate weapons as the fight goes on.

Funnily enough, the movie features no climatic swordfight. The ending, as I knew long before watching the film, is ultimately heartbreaking. Despite this, I find that I can't wait to watch the movie again. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" simply must be viewed repeated times, since to fully appreciate its majestic scope is impossible in simply one viewing.

I will finish by mentioning that the end credits song, "A Love Before Time," is beautiful to say the least. Since watching the movie on Sunday, I have listened to it whenever I'm able to on the internet. I will probably have to purchase not only the movie someday, but the soundtrack, too.